Fanfiction Favourites

Fanfiction Favourites - Sherlock Edition

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I've been reading far too many fanfics of late and so to ease my guilty conscience ("stop fucking procrastinating" it whispers for the hundredth time) I thought I'd share with you my personal favourites.I thought I might make this a regular thing (because personally I love fic recs) and so for now I'm going to focus on my favourite fandom in terms of shipping; Sherlock!

DISCLAIMERS

a) I'm (of course) very fandom and pairing biased, and I know different people draw the line in different places when it comes to what they want to read about. So you won't see any non-consensual sex featured in the works below because personally I don't think that's something we should romanticise.
b) a lot of these works feature, er, mature sexy times, and I should probably give some kind of warning that if you read about anal sex and you're under eighteen your brain will explode. I don't think it will, but now you can't say I haven't warned you.

So in no particular order let's proceed;

A Cure for Boredom by EmmaGrant01
Possibly my favourite fic, sex is blended perfectly with scenes showing real character and love, as well as a truly engrossing plot.

The Blog of Eugenia Watson by Mad_Lori
Sherlock has never been more endearing than here, the story opening up a wonderful window into both the mundane and mysterious parts of the Watson-Holmes' family life

A Mile in His Shoes by Determamfidd
I do love a good body swap and this is my favourite from those I've read for the Sherlock fandom. The scene with Mycroft near the end is especially hilarious

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The Adventure of the Consulting Woman by DancingGrimm
This one is a bit of a guilty pleasure, but I do always find the image of Sherlock crossdressig very intriguing...

The Art of Seduction series by flawedamythyst
If you want a bit of smuttyness, but are equally interested in some crack and a brilliant plot then this is the one for you

Catch as Catch Can by perevision
 Sherlock is forced to confront pop culture; fun to see how the consulting detective feels about some of the things I love so much

A Silver Sixpence by _doodle
So lovely, this seems to me like the way Sherlock and John could get together in the show, if they ver actually do!

Is There A Place for Romantic Fiction in the Age of Cynicism? Guest Post by Vickie Hall

Is There A Place for Romantic Fiction in the Age of Cynicism?

This is a guest post by Vickie Hall, author of Secrets of the Red box, as part of the book tour for the previously mentioned novel. I'd like to thank her for contributing her writing to my humble blog!

You can read my review of Secrets of the Red Box here

 As with many topics, there are often polar opposite aspects that attempt to sway us to one side or the other. This is certainly true of writing Romance. We live in a world of opposites, and often those opposites do not represent the vast middle ground that more closely mirrors the majority.

While on one hand, we are faced with a growing number of erotic romances flooding the marketplace, and leaving little to the imagination, I would also suggest they are one of those polar opposites. These books are filled with, I conjecture, an unrealistic view of the norm, explicit and crude and debasing. Sadly, there will always be an audience for this type of salacious material, but does it serve as a true comparrison of our own lives? Or are we left feeling our lives are lacking in excitement and pleasure after reading one of these stories?

On the other hand, we have a market of idealized romance, that in my opinion, is just as harmful but in a different way. These books depict love and marriage in such glowing terms, and with such unrealistic loftiness that no love or marriage could ever stand against it and survive. I've heard stories of women comparing their own realities against these romanticized versions and coming up short, and disappointed, and seeking something better.

The simple truth is, life is complicated, love is complicated, and neither of the polar opposites represent a truthful, honest portrayal of real life. Is there a place for this type of romance novel, the type that more closely reflects the vast middle ground of normalcy? Absolutely! When a reader can truly identify with a protagonist who struggles, suffers, and hurts because of her love, but can also find fulfillment, joy, and happiness in it, we are rewarded. I know I respond more deeply to stories that represent a relatable plot with flawed characters, flawed just as we are, than to stories with such idealized opposites

Secrets of the Red Box by Vickie Hall

Secrets of the Red Box by Vickie Hall

Bonnie has secrets to keep - secrets with the potential to destroy lives, including her own. Running from her destructive and pain filled past, she recreates herself, believing she has escaped the damning evidence hidden in the red box. When her former life is revealed by a cruel twist of fate, Bonnie faces losing everything, including Glen, the only man she’s ever loved. But is Bonnie the woman he thinks she is? Set against the backdrop of the 1940s, Secrets of the Red Box is filled with intrigue and suspense - sure to keep you guessing to the very end!

This is part of the Secrets of the Red Box book tour; for the schedule and more info go here. To buy the book go here

Rating: *** (out of five stars)

Romance! Not my normal area of reading but I have to say I did enjoy Secrets of the Red Box, the balance between the various relationships and the mystery/suspense elements being maintained well throughout the story. For me it was the titular secrets which kept me reading; the glimpses into them which were scattered across the chapters forming a wonderfully irresistible undertone for the contrasting normality and happiness in the main narrative. I really was surprised when all was revealed, despite references which perhaps I should have picked up on earlier on (I have a feeling my mind was in a slightly morbid place at the time and that perhaps that's why the eventual conclusion was so unexpected).

The main character is Bonnie,  a young woman who has recently left San Diego for Omaha to escape horrors of which the audience does not know. Although by the end of the novel I had some sympathy for her, at the beginning I personally found it quite difficult to like someone so harsh and seemingly unfeeling. Her treatment of Christine especially seems to not seem possible from anyone with a heart of any kind. Bonnie's constant internal monologue of paranoia also became repetitive, though I do see it's purpose of reminding the reader of her previous life, and that she hasn't grown up in the way most readers (hopefully) have. With the introduction of Glen she mellows out, and from there my affection for her began to grow. Generally I think my lack of feelings for the female characters may have stemmed from their overwhelming desire for the "perfect" family life, complete with marriage and stereotypical gender roles. This isn't the fault of Vickie Hall but me; I need to learn to put my feminist hat away sometimes and just enjoy a story set in an era with different values from my own.

For me the setting descriptions were certainly one of Secrets of the Red Box's strong points. Whilst reading I had such a clear image of these places (in particular Omaha) that I really could picture Bonnie existing there in her small life, with the rest of the big city turning even faster around her. Various flash back sequences were brilliantly illustrated too, but to avoid spoiler I won't go into any more detail about these.

To conclude I felt this was a good story, with intriguing plot developments and a satisfying though perhaps not realistic ending. With vivid descriptions too it's definitely worth a read!

The Casual Vacancy by JK Rowling

Published 27 September 2012 by Little Brown

Rating: **** (out of five stars)

It's been a week or so since I actually finished this because I wanted to wait a while and compose my thoughts before I inflicted my views on the rest of the world. I considered not writing a review at all because still I'm not sure I can really get across in coherent sentences how I feel about The Casual Vacancy. But then I realised that at the speed JKR writes I should probably take advantage of having more material from my favourite author.

There seems to have been a lot of bad press for this book, though obviously as JKR's first work since Potter that was bound to happen, so I want to make it clear that this is not a negative review at all. I enjoyed the book, it entertained me, it made me think, and surely that in itself means it served it's purpose. The writing was of course excellent; the character descriptions in particular were so vivid I could almost feel the characters standing over me whilst I read. Many (in fact probably the majority) were not likeable, but in my limited experience I'd have to say they were pretty accurate portraits of a type of person which unfortunately does exist in real life.The issues explored were important ones, and the type where so often only one side of the story is heard and it really did give a voice to those who need it so desperately in these times of austerity. Even the plot quickened and became reasonably addictive, despite it's seemingly dull nature.

I do understand the problems people had with the book though. If any of you listen to Mugglecast (which if you're a Potter fan you really should do) you'd have heard them talking about how bad the book's publicity was and I totally agree. It was targeted at existing fans of Rowling and while I do believe that we can enjoy it, I also think that there are a lot of people who would have missed out on reading it because they didn't really realise that it wasn't another fantasy or more light-hearted novel. This isn't really what I normally read; the politics involved in my usual fare are normally entirely fictional, and I think a lot of people who went into this simply because of the name on the cover will have been disappointed. As much as I knew this wouldn't be anything like Harry Potter, it's another thing to actually have it in front of you and know that. Sure, some of the themes and morals are similar but that is really it. Again, not a bad thing, just something that for me it was weird to accept.

I do have some negatives though, but I really don't want to linger on them much as I did ENJOY the book! After the initial chapter it took the narrative quite a while to get going whilst the massive cast of characters was introduced. I have no problem with sex or expletives in literature or anything else if they're necessary and add to the story, but I did feel like she was making up for lost time and mentioning erections and masturbation at every conceivable moment, even if it had no relevance at all. The ending was realistic, but perhaps not satisfying.

Overall though this is a brilliant book, which will inevitably be judged in a light far harsher than that of its peers. It does make you wonder if perhaps a pseudonym wouldn't have been such a bad idea after all.

(I'm really interested in what other people thought on this one, especially if you haven't read Harry Potter much previously, so please feel free to comment below)

Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James

Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L James

Published by Arrow (12 April 2012)

Rating: * (out of five stars)

So I did it, I read THE book, the one that no one's shut up about all summer. I figured that if I was going to continue to argue so fervently against the damned thing I should probably have read more than a few random extracts that I'd seen online. Of course I was curious to see what all the fuss was about too, but in my head I liked to think I was doing it for "research purposes" (or at least that's how I referred to it before I realised it sounded like my research was something other than literary criticism).

I went into Fifty Shades of Grey with expectations so low they'd probably melted to nothing in the lava rivers of hell, and for the first few chapters even these lowly standards weren't met. I felt E.L James' portrayal of women was appalling; she very much went with the Victorian-esque extremes which I thought had perhaps been left behind. On the one hand we have Anastasia Steele, a girl so boneless she literally falls down at Christian Grey's feet when they first meet and apparently can't be trusted to deem whether her car us safe to drive. Then there's Kate Kavanagh, the workaholic who needs a "nice guy" to finally make her appropriately feminine again. Plus in these first few chapters Grey simply seems like a dick, and a creepy one at that.

The picture does improve and happens to coincide with the sex starting up. Once these characters become more complex they do develop into vaguely interesting characters, especially in the case of Christian. In no way did I like him; the quote "fifty shades of fucked up" fitted him quite perfectly. But his background did give him depth and even if I was no personal fan he was at least less one dimensional than Ana.

I suppose now it's time to talk about the sex. It was a bit of a let down for me, no where near as explicit as I expected and didn't seem to me to be anything particularly revolutionary. And that's coming from a teenager. Perhaps I've been spoiled by the beautiful fan fiction I've read, but it did practically nothing for me. It wasn't even amusing. As for the fabled tampon scene I don't quite get the hype.

Overall this was I suppose just marginally better than I expected. By no means a good book, but if you just want to know what all the fuss is about you'll probably make it through unscathed.

The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ by Philip Pullman

The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ by Philip Pullman

Published 2010 by Canongate Books (as part of the Canongate Myths series)

Rating - *** (out of five stars)

The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ is an intriguing book for many reasons. The book is Philip Pullman’s retelling of Jesus’ story, the main change being that Jesus now has a brother called Christ. The title of course hints at the personalities of these two and the roles they play, though by no means touches on the intricacies involved in their relationship with each other. In a lot of ways though the most important part of this book isn’t the plot or characters, but the message and ideas which the author has presented inside these pages.

I described this book as “intriguing” initially, and interesting and thought provoking are also words which in my opinion apply here; involving and gripping definitely less so. This is a quick read and so the slow start doesn’t really matter, but I have to say that all I got from the first few chapters was an intense dislike for Christ. It isn’t really until the very end that the story starts surprising you as a reader. It’s not exactly that this is a problem, more that you don’t normally find yourself in a situation where you’ve already heard or read three-quarters of the story before in some form or another. It definitely makes this into a very different reading experience, at least for me anyway.

That’s not to say I didn’t like this book though. I have read quotes of Pullman’s previously concerning religion and found his views quite similar to mine, so I obviously had different feelings about what I was reading than someone who disagrees with the religious opinions expressed (and I’m guessing that there were probably a lot of people who were extremely angry when they finished this book). The afterword adds another element, with the inspiration behind this retelling set out, as well as some of the aspects which were less clear explained. Not that every detail is made perfectly transparent; quite rightly some quite important points are still left for the reader to interpret, but overall I did find the afterword the most appealing part of the novel.

This review may perhaps seem slightly negative, but I assure this is a book I enjoyed and which I’m very glad I read. I do think that perhaps more could have been done with the concept, but overall it’s a controversial take on a topic which luckily isn’t all hype.

Book Haul!

This is a bit of an experiment, but I thought I’d try posting a book haul post on here. I’ve seen a lot of Booktubers do this and I’ve always found them really interesting so I figured I’d give a text version of it a go...

In the last few months I’ve had a bit of a book buying spree. I usually only purchase books I especially want and know I will read again, because they aren’t the cheapest things and if I’m never going to reread something than the library works just as well. Recently however I’ve been acting a bit of out of character and have quite a large stack of books waiting for me in the to-read pile which I actually own.  This is mainly down to discount bookstores and the fact I’ve had to get stuff for my English Lit course next year (I haven’t included them ones in this list) but I thought I’d take the opportunity to do a book haul whilst I could.

I’m going to include where I bought each one, but as a lot of them were reduced or on special offers in no way could I guarantee whether they’ll actually have them in the store near you. Also I live in the UK, so if you don’t a) I don’t even know if half of these stores exist for you and b) it’s probably even less likely that they’ll have the same things I bought.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Keep Me in Mind by Nancy Holder

Bought for £1 in Poundland

This is the only one of these books which I’ve actually read yet and I have to say I got what I was expecting. This is a choose your own adventure style book and I basically bought it as a bit of fun and light hearted reading, which would probably make me laugh with its cheesiness but that as a fan of Buffy would satisfy me no matter how bad it was because you can always do with a bit me more slayer in your life. 

The Baker Street Boys: The Case of the Disappearing Detective by Anthony Read

Bought in a random book store which was closing down for 50p

 I was browsing through the 50p stand in the shop and the words “Baker Street” caught my eye. At such a cheap price and with my obsession with the world’s only Consulting Detective I of course had to have this. The basic premise seems to be that Sherlock has gone missing, so I don’t actually know how much he’ll feature, but regardless I’m sure this will be alright for some light reading.

These next three were all bought on a 3 for £5 offer in The Works. If you have a branch near you, it’s seriously worth  checking out because there’s a huge variety of books in the offer, including a lot of well known authors and bestsellers (I saw a few things by Lionel Shriver, and if you’re into YA stuff there was Wither and various books by Scott Westerfeld)

The End Specialist by Drew Magary

I picked this up initially because of its cover as I recently read the Book Thief (so good!) and their artwork is very similar. Then I read the blurb and it gripped me. This is set in the future when a cure has been developed which means nobody will ever die of old age, though bullets and diseases can still be fatal. Sci-Fi, death and eternal youth; what isn’t there to love?

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen.

So far I’ve read Emma, Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion all of which I’ve loved and so I’ve wanted to read Sense and Sensibility for a while. So I bought it and hopefully it will live up to my expectations!

Buffy the Vampire Slayer 3 by Nancy Holder, Kirsten Beyer and Christopher Golden

Like I said, I love Buffy. This seems to be the third volume of a collection of original Buffy stories. They had one or two different volumes of the series, but I decided on this one mainly because there’s a story which sounds pretty Willow-centric.

Have you read any of these? If so tell me what you though in the comments. And if not, what books have you bought recently?

Book Survey

I saw this on Kayley Hyde's blog ages ago and  it seemed like a kind of cool thing to do...

Favourite childhood book?
Well, Harry Potter (all of them) by JK Rowling but I still read and love them. When I was younger though I loved Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
What are you reading right now?
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
What books do you have on request at the library?
1Q84 by Haruki Murakami, Buffy the Vampire Slayer season eight, vol one by Joss Whedon & co, and Fifty Shades of Grey by EL James. I know, I'm ashamed of having that reserved, but I decided I should probably actually have read the book I've been slagging off for months.
Bad book habit?
Spilling drink on the pages or creasing the corners in my bag
What do you currently have checked out of the library?
Midnight Days by Neil Gaiman, X-Men First Class - The Wonder Years, Dr Horrible and Other Horrible Stories by Zak Whedon, Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy and Villette by Charlotte Bronte.
Do you have an e-reader?
No. I'm sorry, but they aren't the same as a real book for so many reasons that  I could write a whole blog post on that alone
Do you prefer to read one book at a time, or several at once?
I often like to read one novel and one graphic novel/comic book at the same time.     
Have your reading habits changed since starting a blog?
I started this blog about two hours ago so, no.
Least favorite book you read this year (so far?)
Middlemarch by George Eliot
Favorite book you’ve read this year?
The Fault in our Stars by John Green
How often do you read out of your comfort zone?
I read quite a broad range of stuff, so I'm not really sure what my comfort zone would be 
What is your reading comfort zone?
Again I'm not sure I have one, but I read a lot of fantasy and dystopians at the minute
Can you read on the bus?
If I want to...
Favorite place to read?
Lying on my bed
What is your policy on book lending?
I don't mind, unless it's a book that's particularly special      
Do you ever dog-ear books?
Yes
Do you ever write in the margins of your books?
NEVER!
Not even with text books?     
Okay, yeah with school books I do
What is your favorite language to read in?
English, because unfortunately it's the only one I know. I attempted to read Philosopher's Stone in French once and didn't get past the first chapter
What makes you love a book?
Really kick-ass female characters, references to other things I like, and a complicated twist at the end where really minor things turn out to be super important. And characters that I really care for
What will inspire you to recommend a book?
When once I've finished I just want to re-read it and talk about it loads and therefore need someone to do this with. Or also if it just comes up in a conversation
Favorite genre?
Fantasy
Genre you rarely read (but wish you did?)
Non-fiction maybe? 
Favorite biography?
I don't really read many biographies so I suppose I'd have to say Billie Piper's by Chris Stevens because it's about the only one I can remember, besides a terrible one on Robert Pattinson which basically said "hahaha aren't Twilight fans so much cooler than those Harry Potter nerds". As a Harry Potter nerd I obviously wasn't happy about that
Have you ever read a self-help book?
No
Favorite cookbook?
I don't really use them,
Most inspirational book you’ve read this year (fiction or non-fiction)?
The Fault in our Stars by John Green again. I just adore that book and everything about it.  
Favorite reading snack?
Coffee and a chocolate digestive biscuit
Name a case in which hype ruined your reading experience
Perhaps Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman. Everyone at the reading group I go to loved it so much and it's always on best book lists, but I have to say I found it just average     
How often do you agree with critics about a book?
I don't really read reviews of books too much, but in some cases they've loved something I hate or vice versa
How do you feel about giving bad/negative reviews?
As long as I have legitimate reasons I don't have a problem with it really. I'm allowed to have an opinion on something just as anyone else is.
If you could read in a foreign language, which language would you choose?
Elvish becuase that would be the most awesome thing ever. I don't care if it's a kind of pointless skill 99% of the time, because elves are just the best creatures (and I want their ears)
Most intimidating book you’ve ever read?
In the last six months or so I've started reading loads of comic books and I suppose they can be intimidating because if it's a series you're not familar with there are all these characters and past events that it's just assumed you know about.
Most intimidating book you’re too nervous to begin?
I don't get nervous about reading a book. if I hate it or it just isn't my thing I can always stop half way.
Favourite Poet?
I don't really read poetry, unless it's at school, so I'm not sure I have a favourite
How many books do you usually have checked out of the library at any given time?
Probably five or six as I change them pretty regularly
How often have you returned books to the library unread?
Occasionally, but normally I try to force myself through it
Favorite fictional character?
Well Luna Lovegood is my absolute favourite, but there are so many others (such as Lyra Belaqua, Lisbeth Salander, Jane Eyre, Ramona Flowers, Hermione Granger, Willow Rosenberg as well as others that aren't from books)
Favorite fictional villain?
Bellatrix Lestrange 
Books you’re most likely to bring on vacation?
Just whatever I have ready to read next 
The longest you’ve gone without reading
Two or three days probably  
Name a book that you could/would not finish
Beloved by Toni Morrison; I'm sorry, but I just hated that book, and really don't care that it won Nobel prizes and stuff. I was pleased about getting as far as I did, so I just read the synopsis online.
What distracts you easily when you’re reading?
The fact that I know there are probably other things I should be doing
Favorite film adaptation of a novel?
The Lord of the Rings, because Peter Jackson completely captures everything that Tolkein wrote and it's really clear how much he cared about the original material. I actually prefer the films to the books, which is very, very rare for me.
Most disappointing film adaptation?
About a Boy. I also have major problems with the Harry Potter films because I feel that in someone else's hands they could have been done so much better, content wise at least.
The most money I’ve ever spent in the bookstore at one time?
Not much really; probably never more than £15? I don't buy that many books and any which were super expensive were most likely gifts
How often do you skim a book before reading it?
Never
What would cause you to stop reading a book half-way through?
A boring plot which doesn't seem to be going anywhere or characters that I have no connection to
Do you like to keep your books organized?
Yes, totally. I may be slightly obsessive about this but I treat my bookshelves like a library. There are different sections for each genre and some bits are labelled with post-it notes. Then the general fiction bit is ranked in order of how much I love them.
Do you prefer to keep books or give them away once you’ve read them?
I keep them. Maybe it's selfish but if I want a book to be there for me to read again and again. Plus I'll need them for when I have a giant house and have a huge library which is a cross between the Hogwarts one and Giles' library at Sunnydale High

Are there any books you’ve been avoiding?
The Gone series? I don't know what it is about them because everyone says they're good, but something tells me the claims that they're as good as The Hunger Games won't be true.
Name a book that made you angry
I'm not sure. Out of Shadows by Jason Wallace annoyed me and the previously mentioned Robert Pattinson biograph pissed me off, but I know there are others that I'm somehow forgetting.
A book you didn’t expect to like but did?
Again I'm not sure. Perhaps Heroes by Robert Cormier which we had to read at school and sounded so dull, though is actually really good.
A book that you expected to like but didn’t?
Middlemarch. I thought because George Eliot was a woman forced to write under a pseudonym perhaps there'd be a bit of feminism in there, but I have to say most of the book was just about marrying half the village off
Favorite guilt-free, pleasure reading?
Re-reading books I love over and over. I've literally read each Harry potter book about ten times and it can never ever get old      

Dr Horrible and Other Horrible Stories

 

by Zak Whedon, with Eric Carnete, Farel Dalrymple, Jim Rugg, Joelle Jones and Scott Hepburn

Publisher: Dark Horse (21 Sep 2010)

Rating ***** (out of five stars)

This is a freaking amazing book; to me it was literally perfect. I’ll admit I’m hugely biased what with being a massive fan of everything Whedon, but I don’t think anyone could deny that this is a superb comic. If you’ve seen Dr Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog you might think that transferring that to paper would be hard, and yet somehow they’ve managed to do it. Each story manages to capture the just slightly cheesy fun and humour, and captures the characters voices amazingly accurately. The short stories contained in this volume complement the original web series perfectly. I think the only negative I have is that there isn’t another volume of these.

All of the tales in this volume are great, but Moist: Humidity Rising and Penny: Keep Your Head Up were my particular favourites. Both flesh out the two characters that were prone to seeming slightly 2D previously, giving them back stories which are truly heart-warming. The Moist story really makes me feel for him, whereas the Penny one gives readers a great perspective on her point of view. In fact the ending to Penny: Keep Your Head Up may make the web series’ climax even more tragic if that’s possible. But if you were looking for an entirely new story there’s The Evil League of Evil, the tale of what happens when the superheroes leave town for vacation and ordinary people are left to step up to the plate.

As this is a graphic novel (I’m never sure whether that or comic is the appropriate term) I should probably comment on the artwork. Once again, I love it. The style is cartoonish, yet eerily real to life and very much in keeping with the generally cheery atmosphere of these stories. I also like the consistency throughout the book; rather than flitting between styles as is often done, all the artwork seems in the same vein which as all the stories are occurring in the same universe makes sense to me and gives the tales an ounce of believability. The final page of Penny: Keep Your Head Up is adorable and shows how versatile the style is, being able portray both cutesy and darker moments equally well.

Of course it’s hard for me to say what this comic would be like for a reader who hasn’t seen Dr Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, and I realise that a lot of the references and jokes may be lost on these readers. But even so I think the stories would remain enjoyable and compelling; plus the musical is up on YouTube (or available on DVD for a very reasonable price) so why not immerse yourself entirely? If you’re a nerd with a love for musicals (or even if you’re not) I don’t think you’ll regret it.